Of Knights and Thieves
by Pepsi-Kun
Summary: Miku, Rin, and Len are just like rats looking for food, but once the girl notices the princess, things turn into something a little more than just living in poverty.
1. Chapter 1

Of Knights and Thieves

Chapter I: Eye Contact

The golden sun's rays outstretched themselves, casting warmth and brightening the sky. One of its rays passed through a glass-stained window and caressed its comforting light onto a pink sleeping beauty. Her eyelids twitched a bit from the touch, and she rolled onto her back, attempting to find the source of heat. She let out a sleep-filled moan and mustered up the strength to lift her eyelids to reveal her deep blue, though drowsy, eyes. Slowly, she arose with a yawn, stretched her arms, and swung her feet onto the soft, ruby carpet, vacantly staring at her door. The girl staggered across the room and opened it only to be faced with a long corridor leading to the dining hall; she swore under her breath knowing what a walk it would be. She trudged through the countless windows that reached the ceiling and tiredly passed rooms that belonged to her servants until she had finally arrived.

"That cursed path always wears me out even before the day starts," she griped.

She gripped her hand around the doorknob and pulled it opened. There sat a table long enough to hold thirty people underneath a chandelier with her mother and father sitting across from each other quietly eating their breakfast. The man was first to glance up from his meal with his eager eyes fixated on his daughter. Hastily, he grabbed a napkin to wipe stray crumbs stuck to his white beard and quickly stood up to greet her.

"Ah, well, look who's awake, dear!" he beamed as he walked around the table.

His wife turned her head to find her daughter standing behind her chair smiled.

"Oh, what joy it is to wake up on such an exciting day! The day when you're no long a little girl!" she exclaimed while clasping her hands together.

No longer a little girl? Oh, that's right... I turn sixteen today...the age in which I must marry the prince of Arkland, she thought gloomily.

"Ha! Haah! Can't believe the day has finally come!" her father sang.

Throwing his arms around her, the girl felt a weight of uneasiness sitting in her stomach. Of course, she had no desire in marrying the prince, for the young man had a pompous ambience about him. She despised how he would treat his servants with such severity as though they had committed a great sin. She also knew that his parents were no different and displayed an identical act of cruelty to any who dared to serve them. It's quite ridiculous how anyone with power could have the right to strip anyone of his or her humanity.

"Oh, heavens! What am I doing still standing here? We must make haste for the ceremony today! Sebastian! Helena! Do take care of our leftovers! There's just simply so much to do today!" he extolled, releasing his daughter.

The two sharply dressed servants opened the door from the kitchen and collected their plates.

"Your father and I have been discussing about this day for years now. 'Tis astonishing to see that our little girl is blossoming into a woman like a flower," she said.

The pinkette gave her an uncertain smile.

"Anywho," she pressed on, "he's right. We must hurry if we want to commence the ceremony. Wouldn't want to disappoint the townspeople, yes? Now, do get dressed, dear. We'll be waiting at the front entrance."

The woman walked past her, following her husband. Once they were out of her presence, she exhaled with discontent.

"Don't I get a say in this?" she asked herself.

—

A row of trumpets blared their glorious voices with brazen, and drums pounded with cymbals clashing their mighty sounds as the crowd cheered for the royal family gradually riding in a white chariot pulled by two white stallions.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Townspeople of Sunland! We welcome you all to this day to honor their majesties's daughter, Luka Megurine's, coming of age!" the knight announced.

The crowd's deafening roar scratched the princess's ears as her parents relished and drank in their cheers proudly.

"What's with all the commotion today?" a blonde boy asked.

"Oh, you twit! Didn't you hear? It's the princess's birthday! Meaning she'll get married!" a blonde girl snapped.

"Don't call me a twat! I just wasn't paying attention, ya hear?"

"I called you a _twit_ , you twat! Do _you_ hear?!"

"Will you both stop fighting for one day? You've been arguing since the walk here!" a teal girl scolded.

"But he/she started it!" they said in unison.

The taller girl sighed in annoyance. She never understood why the two twins constantly bickered.

"Anyways, Miku," the younger girl said, "mind telling us why on Earth you dragged us here?"

"So that we could finally get something to eat. I heard that afterwards, there's to be a banquet for the rich."

The twins looked at each other quizzically then looked back at the girl.

"Umm, did you eat spoiled mushrooms this morning? In case you've forgotten, we're lower class. Poor people. I mean, we're wearing rags sewn by our mums, for pete's sake!"

"I know that, Rin. I'm saying that if we can sneak past the guards somehow, we'd be able to get in the castle and eat like fat rats."

Rin gawked at her.

"That's mad...I like it. Have you got a plan?"

"Rin!" her twin cried.

"What? Len, we haven't eaten a decent meal in two weeks. We're sneaking in that bloody castle!" Rin declared.

"We may have stolen food before, but from a royal family? That's just suicide! They'll have us hanged for sure!"

"Look," Miku said, "we've never been caught stealing food before, and we won't get caught now. So, which will it be? Stealing bread and fruits, or stealing a feast?"

Len took a second to think before giving an answer. Biting his lower lip, he huddled close to them.

"What have I got to lose besides my life?" he reluctantly asked.

"That's the spirit, dear brother!" his sister beamed.

"All right! Now that we're all on board, here's the plan. See that guard near the back entrance? If we can distract him somehow, we might just be able to get in," Miku devised.

"But how?" Len asked.

"We run to that wall and duck down between that barrels over there. I'll pretend to call out like a damsel in distress, tricking the guard into hunting down the 'perpetrator'. We go in, slide past guards, get food, and get out."

"Sounds like it could work," Rin agreed.

Len only hummed worriedly in response.

"Oh, relax, would'ja? It'll be like taking candy from a baby!"

"Yeah, a royal baby..."

"Wait. How will we carry the food?" Rin questioned.

A sly smile crept onto the teal girl's face as she pulled a burlap sack from under her brown shirt, making the other girl smile back.

"Clever. How'd ya get it?"

"Snuck it while my mum wasn't looking. Well, c'mon, then. Follow me."

With that, the three pushed their way through the crowd. Mike glanced back to ensure that no one eavesdropped but instead met the eyes of the princess staring straight into her teal ones. Both blushed for reasons unknown and felt their heart beats quicken.

"Oi! Miku! You comin'?" Rin called.

"Oh, uhm, right! she said and broke her gaze, leaving the princess tilting her head in puzzlement.

 **Hey, my guys! Sorry for not updating ANYTHING at all! Actually, I turned 18 a few months ago and am still crying about it! Y A Y! (Also, I have a job at fast food and it SUCKS.) But I will try to update Liar's Tongue and this story as well, so stay turned! There's more to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

Of Knights and Thieves

Chapter II: Take from the Rich

The trio squatted together against the grey wall, hiding behind a large barrel. Being the daring of the bunch, Miku reared her head around it's wooden, bloated body to discover a guard still protecting the door. She snaked her head back and turned to face the twins.

"All right, you two know the plan, right?" Miku asked.

"Yes, yes, of course! You, Len?"

Len nodded dubiously.

"Okay, then. Here goes nothing."

Miku inhaled, and she closed her eyes.

"HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE! THEY'RE AFTER ME! OH, GOD, HEEEELLLLP!"

The guard jolted, his armor clanking and spear dancing about from hand to hand. Frenetically, although clumsily, he ran towards the direction of the "distressed" cry. The comical scene drew a snicker from Rin.

"I can hardly how the fool fell for such a trick! What a bloody idiot!"

The teal girl chuckled at her own insidious work. She has always been an expert at tricking people and bringing mischief ever since she was just a child; one may even call it a blessing or a curse depending on the situation.

"Now's our chance. Let's move," she instructed.

The crafty girl guided them around the corner, which lead them to a tall red door nearly as massive as the castle itself.

"Well, goodness me! Look a' the size of this thing!" Rin remarked.

"We're not here to sightsee anything. We've gotta hurry before the guard comes back," Miku urged.

The tealette approached the mountainous door and tried to pull on its golden handle ring, but to her dismay, it did not budge.

"What the?"

She tried to pull it again but no luck.

"I can't seem to open the bloody thing! Not even a crack!"

"What? Stop your playin', Miku, and open the damn thing!" Rin barked.

"Maybe the door is just too heavy? How 'bout we all try to open it together?" Len suggested.

"Hm...guess we could try that," Miku agreed.

The two blonde siblings scurried to the hanging handle and gripped each of its curved sides.

"You both ready?"

They nodded eagerly, yet the handle trembled from Len's nervous palms.

"One..." Miku began, "two...three!"

In unison, they strained to open the weighted door after a few attempts, but their efforts were fruitless.

"Gah...this door must...weigh a ton!" Len panted.

Rin gulped lungfuls of air, feeling her chest tightening after each inhale. She stared at the ground before raising her eyes to meet a keyhole sitting in the middle and pointed.

"Hey," she huffed and pointed, "you two see that?"

Miku's eyebrow crinkled in befuddlement as she peeled up her head with strands of hair stuck to her sweat-covered forehead.

"See what?"

Her curious eyes followed the path of her finger and found the key's companion. After studying it, she looked over to her friend with discontent.

"And where on Earth are we gonna find a key?"

A small simper slipped onto the other girl's face as she wagged her finger.

"Ah, my dear Miku! Surely, you forgot that yer ol' pal Rinny here is a master at picking locks!"

Rin plucked a thin thread of her own hair and pulled it through her teeth to sharpen it. She strode towards the door, slid it into the keyhole, and jiggled the strand.

 _ **KER-CHIK!**_

A satisfying click can be heard as the door slowly creaked ajar. Miku and Len just looked at her with astonished expressions. The girl just hummed in triumph.

"After you," she gestured.

Still stunned, the tall girl staggered to the door and peaked through its crack. To her surprise, there were no other guards in sight. She was only greeted with an empty hallway, its sleek floor dressed with a red carpet.

"All right. Coast is clear," Miku said.

She slipped through the door's slit and beckoned Rin and Len to follow her. Once they were inside, a buttery and delightful scent sauntered through the halls and brushed pass their noses. Rin sniffed the delicious aroma and sighed.

"I think I can smell pies...cherry pies, if I'm not mistaken...with a hint of the richest vanilla extract there is! And," she sniffed the air again, "oh, chocolate cake! I haven't had one in years!"

"You can tell all that just by using your nose?" Len inquired.

"Well, she _is_ a rat, so of course, she'll nose of a rat," Miku ridiculed.

Len laughed, earning a cold glare from his sister.

"Well, _I_ wouldn't shoot off my mouth so much, Miku. Wasn't it _your_ idea to steal from the royal family? I'd say _you_ might be lower than a ra-"

"NO! NO! NO! ALL _WRONG!"_ a voice boomed.

Miku, Rin, and Len almost felt their hearts leap from their throats and instinctively clung to the wall.

"B-But Monsieur-"

"The Vanilla Créme au Laít needs _VANILLA_ extract, NOT! _PEPPERMINT_ extract! _Putain de crétin! CAN'T YOU READ THE FUCKING LABEL?!"_

Len shrunk back from the berating the poor man was enduring.

"Oh, dear," he whimpered.

Miku decided to inch closer to the corner and peered her head from behind it. She observed countless chefs cloaked in white feverishly preparing dishes and placing them on a counter along with other culinary cuisines.

"Oi, Miku" Rin called in a hushed tone, "What do you see in there?"

"An opportunity to steal," she said with a smile before turning back to the twins.

"Here's what we'll do. There're no chefs on the other side of the room. We'll crawl underneath the counters, put as much food in the bag as we can carry, and hightail our asses outta here."

Rin and Len nodded in agreement. The thieves stooped their bodies and ran next to the wall. Miku paused against the door with her arm outstretched to halt her friends' movements. She curved her head to make certain that the chefs were distracted with their backs turned to their cooking. After careful consideration, she gestured the two to trail behind her silently. Once they arrived under the tan counter, the three hastily shoved the dishes into the sack ranging from ham glistening with honey, ten steaks, stuffing, a chocolate pound cake adorned with strawberries, a few cherry and banana pies, and last but not least, a silver pitcher of brilliant red wine. Rin clutched its metallic handle as Miku tied the mouth of the somewhat stuffed sack closed.

"Let's go before they catch us."

And with that, the hungry thieves sprinted, their silent fleeing footsteps escaping from the kitchen and out of the castle. Thankfully, the guard had still not returned.

—

"Ah! Ha! Ha! D'you think that guard eva came back?" Rin slurred, the wine melting into her voice.

"Hmm. Prolly not. 'Ey, Len. Wanna try?" Miku asked, thrusting the pitcher to the boy's face.

"Erm. No, thanks..."

"Oh, c'mon! It's jus' a li'l juice! You'll love it!"

The scent of the ruby alcohol emerging from the jug entangled his nostrils, and he backed away.

"Really, I'm all right..."

Rin's drunken howling filled the air.

"Virgin lips! Virgin lips!" she chanted.

Shortly, Miku joined in, gaining a blush from the timid Len. The joyous atmosphere flitted in the air. Their laughter was carried deep into the shrouded woods and fell into a sickly green twitching ear. A disgruntled snort lumbered from its spear-shaped nose as it clutched the holy of its sword.

"It's about that time," the gruff voice mumbled.

 **And that's the end of chapter two, my kiddos! Chapter three is on its way!** **(** **๑** **ᴖ** ◡ **ᴖ** **๑** **)**


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